Improvement in chargers for shot-pouches



J. M. HAT'HAW'AY.

Powder Flaskfand Charger." N6. 15, 651.

, TERS. PHOTQ LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D c.

Patented Sept. 2, 18456.

in the outer tube.

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or new YORK, 1:. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. L165 3., dated S ptember 2, 185.6.

I0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JoHN M. Hiirrmwa'r, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chargers for Shot-Pouches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, makingia part thereof, in which-- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of one of the chargers detached from the pouch or bag. Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section through the charger and lever or thumb-piece by which the slides that form the cut-off are operated. Fig. 3 represents the charging-tube and its mode of adjustment Fig. 4 represents the inner or charging tube detached from the outer one, to show its catch.

Similar letters in the several figures denote like parts of the charger in all of them.

A represents the base of the charger, which has a slightly-conical form, and grooves running around it, so as to be securely attached to the pouch or bag. A swell or collar, a, is madeat the upper part of base-piece, .and a circular groove, 1), is formed on the inside of said collar, into whichaspring-catch, 0, takes, to hold the upper to the lower portion of the charger, and to facilitate the removal of said upper portion when the pouch or bag is to be filled with shot.

The charger proper is made of two cylindrical tubcsviz., an outer one, B, and an inner one, C, the .outer one, B, being provided with lugs or ears (I, to which the lever D is pivoted or hinged, and a slot oropening, 0, through which the lower slide or gate, f, passes. It is, moreover, provided with a narrow vertical slot, 1, from which branch, opposite to each other, horizontal slots 2 34 5 6, or more, into which a peculiarly-shaped springcatch, attached to the inner cylinder,0, takes, to hold it,when adjusted, to the proper charge of shot that may be desired for the time being. The inner tube or cylinder, 0, fits loosel y but neatly within the outer one, B, and projects above the top of the outer one. Near the top of the one, 0, is aprojection, g, in and through which the slot or opening for the upper slide or gate, 71, is made. It has also up on it the spring-catch i, above referred to,for admit-ting of adjustment within the outer tube, and for holding the two together when adjusted. This spring-catch i has a tongue, 7, at its outer end, and a button, 9, with. shoulders 8 S, at the base of the tongue,'so that when the inner tube is to be raised or lowered on the outer one thetongue 'Tis pressed into the vertical slot 1, and the but-ton or wide part of the catch z'will slip into the horizontal slots 2 8, &c., allowing the inner tube to be raised or lowered, and when at the prop er height, by releasing the tongue 7 of the catch,it will spring out and allow the wide portion to take into the cross-slots again, and there hold it. This kind of fastening admits of raising or lowering the inner tube in a vertical line instead of the double motion,'

both vertical and horizontal, required with the ordinary bayonet-fastening, as commonly used. The inner tube, 0, has a portion, 7a, of its lower part elongated, so that the lower gate or slide, f, may always shut against it, however high or low within its limit of ad justment it may be placed. securing the upper to the lower portion of the charger may be substantially the same as that shown in my patent of the 1st of August, 1854.

The lever D is hollow or tubular, and the rod E, to the upper end of which the upper slide, I1, is hinged, passes through it, so that the two slides may be moved nearer to or farther from each other, the lever and rod being held together, when adjusted, by a tighteningscrew, Z. The lever D is provided with a thumb-piece, F, foroperating it, and through it the slides f h, which are so arranged (one on each side of the fulcra) that when one is shut the other is open, and vice versa. This arrangement is also shown in my patent above referred to. The lower slide, f, may be made of thin steel, so as to have elasticity and a greater facility for passing through the shot, to separate the charge that is to be used from that in the pouch or bag. The centerportion of the slide f is cut or punched out, and a piece, 022., provided with a series of small holes, a, neatly fitted into said opening. .A slot is also cut in the slide f, so as to separate and make a spring, 0, out of the portion so cut, which spring bears against the inserted piece, m, raising it slightly upward and throwing the openings, or one of them, against a small bolt or pin, a", fastened on the outer tube, B,which locks the slide f against accidental opening The manner of until the user desires to open it. The slide f is pivoted at r to the lever D, and on the same pivoting-pin is hung the piece 122-, which piece on has a lever, s, projecting rearward and close to or over the thumbpiece F. As represented, in Fig. 1, the slide f is locked, and any brush, twig, or other thing pressing against the thumb-piece F or the lever D, would not move it or the one it above, which would loose a charge of shot. But to make the unlocking of the slides an easy operation-to the user, the lever 8 projects over the thumb-piece F, so that as the thumb is slipped up on F, it raises up the lever s and throws down the piece on. from the bolt 00. By then pressing on the thumbpiece the slides work, and by releasing the thumb-piece the lever and slides return again to the locked position shown in Fig. l.

A folded or criinped spring, 16, is arranged between the outer tube, 13, and the lever D forthrowing back the slides and lever when the thumb has been removed from the thumbpiece. By crimping this spring '6, I am enabled to use a longer spring, which has more elasticity and is less liable to break than those ordinarily used. The series of holes, a, are

for furnishing a stop at any of the changes of the charger, the position of the slide f varying as the charger is changed or lengthened.

Fig. 5 shows, on an enlarged scale, the spring i, button 9, and tongue 7, which are connected to the inner tube, 0, and which, taking into the slots 1 2 3 4: &c., as the case may be, forms the fastening for holding the two tubes after they are adjusted.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention,what I. claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the slide of a shotcharger, a locking apparatus, substantially such as described, to prevent the accidental opening of the charger, but readily unlocked by the user, as set forth. 7

2. The slots 1 2 3 4, &c., on the tube B, and the tongue, button, and spring, on the tube 0, in combination, as a device for adjusting and holding said tubes, as set forth.

J OI'IN M. HATHAWAY.

\Vitnesses:

J os. HARRISON, E. W. HEDGES. 

